January 22, 2013 — The University of Wyoming’s Bim Kendall House has
been awarded LEED Gold recognition.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
rating system (LEED)
was established by the U.S. Green Building Council in 1999 and is the nation’s
pre-eminent program for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. Project certification is administered by the Green
Building Certification Institute, a third-party independent incorporated entity
that also oversees the LEED Professional Accreditation program.

The Kendall House, home of the Haub School
of Environment and Natural Resources, is the second building on the UW campus
to receive such certification.

The Haub School will recognize the Kendall House
LEED Gold certification with an open house and celebration at the building from
5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6. The UW and Laramie communities are invited to
tour the building and learn more about sustainable construction and LEED
certification.

“This is one example of how the university is
demonstrating its commitment to sustainability and sustainable building design,”
says Michael Ziemann, LEED engineer for University Facilities Planning.

In 2007, UW became a charter member of the American
College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment and, in 2009, President Tom
Buchanan approved the UW Climate Action Plan, committing the university to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To this end, all new buildings on campus are
to be built to a minimum of LEED silver standards, though completing the certification
process is optional.

“The Kendall House certifying at the Gold level,
second-from-top standard, provides third-party verification that we are doing
what we committed to do,” says Ziemann.

The Bim Kendall House achieved LEED certification
for efficient energy, water and material use. The building earned additional
points for creating a healthy and comfortable workspace, and for incorporating
educational and outreach components. Students helped plan sustainable features
of the building and now the Haub School offers in-person and online tours to
teach visitors how the building reduces resource consumption.

Additionally, because the building incorporated a
renovation of an existing structure rather than relying entirely on new
construction, it makes smart use of existing materials and has a smaller impact
on the environment during construction.

“The Kendall
House is a model for residential scale sustainable design, so the lessons from
our structure translate to buildings off campus,” says Nicole Korfanta, associate
director of the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. “We achieved
the Gold level certification, in part, through simple material and technology
choices as opposed to constructing a highly engineered building.”

“With each new LEED-certified building, we get one
step closer to USGBC’s vision of a sustainable built environment within a
generation,” says Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of the U.S.
Green Building Council. The Bim Kendall House contributes to this green
building movement.

The Bim Kendall House’s LEED certification was based
on a number of green design and construction features. These features include:

-- On-site renewable energy in the form of rooftop
photovoltaic panels.

Several consultants contributed to the project. The
project was designed by Architecture Plus, and Drahota Construction led the
renovation and addition work. Structural design was done by Mike McDonald of
JVA. Mark Kosmos, at the time with EDAW and now with Robert Peccia and
Associates Inc., designed the native, low-water landscaping. Jeff Elsner, at
the time with SSR and now with RMH Group, was the engineer for mechanical,
electrical and plumbing. Civil engineering was provided by Dan Swift of SSA.
Ralph Schmitt, with Engineering Economics Inc., was the commissioning agent.

Major funding for the building came from Bim and
Donald Kendall for the building purchase, renovation and addition, with a match
from the state of Wyoming capital construction fund. The Kresge Foundation
provided funding for green design and Rocky Mountain Power provided matching
funds for the photovoltaic system. Many private gifts were made in honor of
Harold Bergman, for whom the xeriscaped gardens are named.